Kiwi mum creates map to show conservation land at risk

After learning through a Forest & Bird newsletter that the Government was proposing significant changes to the Conservation Act, Wellington mother, tramper, and lifelong nature lover Kerren Corbett found herself unable to sleep. The next morning, she put on her boots and went tramping. 

Hiking through the Tararua Forest Park, ideas flooded in. One — an interactive map that — like Forest and Bird’s — shows the large areas of conservation land affected, but also which MPs represent them and how they’ve voted on the environment. A play on words, she called the website mylocalmatters.org. It’s designed to help New Zealanders understand the scale of the proposed changes and what’s happening to their local scenic reserve or park. The website also makes it easy to take action by sending a letter to their MP or a submission. It is an election year after all.

But for Corbett, the issue goes beyond politics.

“In the Tararua I talked to people I met along the way. No one knew about the proposed changes. We talked about local huts, trails, rivers. These places aren’t just lines on a map. They are full of our memories, adventures, a place of fun but also a sanctuary. When I realised places like ‘my local’ could be affected by these changes, I knew more people needed to know what was happening.”

The proposed legislation would make approximately 60% of New Zealand’s conservation land eligible for disposal, sale, exchange, or long-term commercial leasing. It would also introduce a new requirement for the Department of Conservation to enable economic development on conservation land to the greatest extent practicable, while reducing independent oversight and public participation in decision-making.

During her recent Tararua trip, Corbett met two brothers in their seventies who had grown up exploring the Ranges. When discussing the proposed changes, one suggested that extracting minerals might be necessary for economic growth. The conversation prompted Corbett to look deeper into the economic arguments often used to justify development on conservation land.

Research by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research estimates conservation land contributes approximately $15.5 billion annually to New Zealand’s economy directly through tourism and recreation, but also indirectly through ecological services like water and soil protection. By comparison, government analysis suggests a major mining operation may generate around $100 million annually for a limited period, with most profits flowing offshore.

But Corbett says the debate is about more than economics, “This isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about who gets to decide the future of places that benefit all of us. Conservation land is held in trust for New Zealanders. These forests, rivers, mountains, wetlands and coastlines support wildlife, protect our water, help tackle climate change, and give us places to walk, camp, hunt, fish and connect with nature. Once they’re sold, leased, mined or developed, there is no guarantee we’ll ever get them back and in what state they’ll be in.”

The campaign highlights concerns raised by conservation organisations, recreation groups, Iwi, environmental advocates and outdoor communities about the proposed reforms, including the concentration of decision-making powers in a single politician, reduced opportunities for public input, and the weakening of independent conservation oversight.

Corbett hopes the map she’s created will help New Zealanders visualise the potential impacts and encourage them to write to their MPs and take part in the submission process.

“As New Zealanders, it’s normal we have different perspectives. But conservation land is one of the few things that brings us together regardless of who we are and where we come from. These places are part of us. We owe it to the generations who protected them before us and to those who come after us to speak up now.”

Public submissions on the proposed legislation close on 2 July.

New Zealanders can learn more, explore the map, send a letter to your MP and make a submission at mylocalmatters.org.